1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blood collection assembly. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a coupler for connection of various needle and needle holder configurations.
2. Description of Related Art
Disposable medical devices having medical needles are used for administering medication or withdrawing fluid from the body of a patient. Such disposable medical devices typically include blood-collecting needles, fluid handling needles and assemblies thereof. Current medical practice requires that fluid containers and needle assemblies used in such devices be inexpensive and readily disposable. Consequently, existing blood collection devices typically employ some form of durable, reusable holder on which detachable and disposable medical needles and fluid collection tubes may be mounted. A blood collection device of this nature may be assembled prior to use and then disassembled after use. Thus, these blood collection devices allow repeated use of a relatively expensive holder upon replacement of relatively inexpensive medical needles and/or fluid collection tubes. In addition to reducing the cost of collecting blood specimens, these blood collection devices help minimize the production of hazardous waste material.
One particular example of a blood extraction device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,539 and sold under the name MONOVETTE™ by Sarstedt. This patent describes a device including a cylindrical extraction tube having a piston therein and a cap on an end thereof, which can be attached with a double-ended needle cannula having an intravenous puncture tip and a non-patient puncture tip with a self-sealing hose or sleeve around the end thereof. The cap of the tube includes a puncturable closure which can be pierced by the non-patient needle when the tube and the double-ended needle cannula are attached. The tube and double-ended needle cannula are attached through lugs on the closure of the tube which engage slots on a skirt of the needle cannula to lock the tube and the needle together for use in sampling. In such an arrangement, however, multiple sampling involves separating the lug and slot engagement between the needle and the tube and attaching a new tube through the lugs and slots.
Moreover, other blood collection tubes and needles made by other manufacturers are not compatible with the lug and slot configuration as described above. For example, the VACUTAINER™ brand of blood collection assemblies sold by Becton, Dickinson and Company includes an evacuated blood collection tube with a piercable stopper which is inserted into a hollow needle holder having a double-ended needle attached thereto. Such collection tubes are not interchangable with the lug and slot arrangement described above. Accordingly, a user of one of these systems for sampling of blood from a patient cannot interchange collection tubes between the systems. To switch to the tube of another manufacturer during sampling of a patient, it is necessary to remove the needle from the patient and re-insert a new needle into the patient, causing discomfort to the patient.
Accordingly, a need exists for a blood collection system in which a plurality of blood collection containers of different manufacturers can be interchanged with a single sampling needle for collection of multiple specimens from a patient or for use of the needle of one manufacturer with the collection containers of another manufacturer.